A Magazine from Akron Children's
The Akron Children’s Adult and Pediatric Burn Institute, supported by The Paul and Carol David Foundation, is a hidden healthcare gem. Many people do not know that the burn team cares for adults as well as kids — and treats complex wounds in addition to burns. Let’s meet two patients, Gianna and Jeff, who received world-class care at the Burn Institute.
Gianna kept her eye on the prize — returning to competitive cheerleading — as she recovered from her burn injuries.
A burn accident in December 2025 put 12-year-old Gianna Ivery, a competitive cheerleader, in Akron Children’s. She had a candle burning in her bedroom, got too close after spraying perfume on her hoodie — and the sweatshirt went up in flames.
“When something like that happens, you lose all fear as a parent,” her mom, Shanequa, said. “I couldn’t get her to understand that she needed to lie down and roll, so I grabbed a nearby towel to smother the fire. I then made sure my 10-year-old son, Roman, was OK because he witnessed the whole ordeal.”
Shanequa called her husband, William, as she and the kids rushed from Stow to the Akron Children’s Emergency Room. After arriving there, Gianna was immediately taken to the Burn Institute. She mostly had deep, second-degree burns on areas including her upper chest, chin and right arm. “These are the types of burns in a gray zone,” said Dr. Anjay Khandelwal, Burn Institute director. “The treatment decision can truly change a child’s long-term outcome and is often misjudged.”
Any caregiver who entered Gianna’s room got the same questions. “When Dr. Khandelwal came into the room for the first time, he knew what to expect,” Shanequa chuckled. “Gianna wanted to know if she’d be home for Christmas and when she could cheer again.”
Gianna is focused and fearless when she’s on stage.
Gianna was an ideal candidate for a combination approach. “The first step is to use a special tool to excise or debride the burn. Then we used the RECELL® spray-on skin system, followed by a protective artificial skin,”
Dr. Khandelwal said. “Our team has helped to pioneer this approach. We’re the only facility in a multistate area that offers this treatment combination routinely.”
Without this advanced care, Gianna would’ve needed skin grafting to harvest a large section of healthy skin and essentially transplant it. “With spray-on skin technology, we take a very small skin sample — about the size of two postage stamps — and expand it to treat a much larger burn area,” Dr. Khandelwal explained. “This technique allows for faster wound closure, less pain, shorter hospital stays and improved cosmetic outcomes.”
Physical and occupational therapists worked with Gianna to keep her moving, saying it would be easier if she moved a little each day. “She was more upset about missing a cheer competition than her burn injury,” Shanequa said. “Gianna didn’t lie in her hospital bed and cry all the time. She put in the work, so she could get back to cheering.”
Gianna met her first goal of being home for Christmas. She rejoined her cheerleading team — taking things slowly and following her care team’s recommendations — and returned to competition in March 2026.
Dr. Khandelwal says Gianna is a great example of how modern burn care is evolving. “Her recovery timeline simply wouldn’t have been possible with a more traditional approach,” he offered. “We are truly world pioneers. Our goal isn’t just healing the burn: It’s getting kids back to being kids as quickly and completely as possible.”
The Ivery family is grateful that Gianna’s scary story has a happy ending. “It could’ve been a lot worse. We could’ve lost our home or our kids; we could’ve lost everything,” Shanequa said. “We’re truly blessed Gianna’s burn ended up being just a little hiccup in the road.”
Jeff couldn't have made it through without his wife, Cathy.
After a small cut developed into a debilitating wound over the course of a year, Jeff Dzuro doubted he would ever return to his favorite pastime—fishing. Even more unlikely was the place where he would finally heal: a children’s hospital.
In summer 2024, Jeff, a 69-year-old West Akron resident, nicked his leg on a branch while trimming trees. That seemingly simple cut turned into a 15-month ordeal that nearly cost him his leg.
When the cut didn’t improve, Jeff sought care at a local wound clinic. Weeks of treatment didn’t help, and he ended up in the emergency room. That started a cycle of wound infections, sepsis, unsuccessful treatments and hospitalizations. “Doctors would give him antibiotics and infusions to get the infection under control,” Jeff’s wife, Cathy, recalled. “But the underlying problem was the wounds weren’t healing.”
Over time, the wound on the front of Jeff’s leg worsened and eventually reached the bone. Jeff’s doctor delivered the devastating news that amputation might be the best option. He had surgery on the open wound, but it became infected. Then Jeff had another bout of sepsis, fell at home and suffered a new wound on his ankle.
Running out of options, the couple sought one final opinion from a local dermatologist. That decision changed everything.
The dermatologist referred Jeff and Cathy to the Akron Children’s Adult and Pediatric Burn Institute. “After more than a year of doctors’ visits and hospitalizations, no one ever mentioned Akron Children’s as an option,” Cathy said. “We thought they only treated kids and people with burns.”
Dr. Anjay Khandelwal, Burn Institute director, instantly gave Jeff and Cathy hope. “He took one look at pictures of my leg and said, ‘I can fix that,’” Jeff shared. “He said I needed a wound vac to gently suction the wound. I’d been in and out of hospitals and had sepsis six times — and nobody had ever recommended a wound vac.”
After speaking with Dr. Khandelwal, Jeff was admitted to Akron Children’s two days later. “His complex wound threatened his function, independence and potentially even his limb due to exposed tendon, muscle and bone,” Dr. Khandelwal explained. “Our priority was to stabilize the wound and create the right environment for healing. I recognized how hard his journey had been and was committed to restoring his quality of life and his leg.”
The burn team thoroughly cleaned and debrided Jeff’s wound to remove the dead tissue and preserve as much tendon and bone as possible. A few days later, Dr. Khandelwal placed a state-of-the-art artificial skin substitute over the wound to help rebuild the damaged tissue. The advanced treatment created durable coverage over the exposed tendon and bone surrounding Jeff’s foot, ankle and lower leg.
As the wound improved, Jeff continued treatment as an outpatient. When the area healed enough, Dr. Khandelwal performed a final skin graft using skin from Jeff’s thigh to close the wound permanently.
“After surgery, his ankle wound turned red and started to heal,” Cathy said. “He only had to stay in the hospital for a few days.”
With four words — “I can fix that” — Dr. Anjay Khandelwal gave Jeff the precious gift of hope.
Jeff, an avid fisherman, started walking again in January 2026. He’s building his leg strength and stability, so he can return to fishing in his favorite spots along the Cuyahoga River.
As Jeff looks back on all he’s been through, he’s filled with gratitude. “The last two years bolstered my faith, and I leaned on God to get me through this rough battle,” he said, his voice cracking with emotion. “I couldn’t have made it through without Cathy, who’s been by my side to love and take care of me. And I owe Dr. Khandelwal the world; there’s no end to my praise for him.”
About the Burn Institute
The Adult and Pediatric Burn Institute, supported by The Paul and Carol David Foundation, is one of only two pediatric hospitals in the United States that treats patients of all ages. With innovative technologies such as spray-on skin and specialized laser therapy, the Burn Institute fulfills a regional need for patients throughout northeast Ohio, western Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
From inspiring stories, to medical miracles, the More childhood, please.® magazine will make you appreciate those precious 6,574 days of childhood.
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